Pakistan

Status: endemic Most of Pakistan is polio-free. The country has never interrupted transmission of wild poliovirus. Transmission is intense in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and periodically spreads to other parts of the country and internationally.

Polio this week in Pakistan

No new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were reported in the past week. The most recent case, reported in Peshawar district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had onset of paralysis on 30 June. The location of this case is still under review. The total number of WPV1 cases for 2015 remains 28, compared to 94 at this time last year.

No new type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2) cases were reported in the past week, and no cases have been reported in 2015. The number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2014 remains 22. The most recent case had onset of paralysis on 13 December 2014.

No new environmental samples positive for WPV1 were reported in the past week. The most recent positive sample was collected on 1 June in Killa Abdullah, Balochistan province.

Environmental surveillance indicates widespread circulation of polioviruses, not just in known infected areas but also in areas without cases. Environmental surveillance continues to be a very helpful supplemental surveillance tool enabling the programme to increase the overall sensitivity of surveillance for polioviruses.